Sprouts Farmers Market to open first New York store, on Long Island

Sprouts Farmers Market plans to make its debut on Long Island — and in New York State.

The fresh, natural and organic foods grocer, which is popular on the West Coast, has signed a lease to open a store in part of the former L.A. Fitness space in Centereach, said Marc Kemp, a principal at Basser-Kaufman, the Woodmere-based real estate firm that manages leasing for the property.

The Centereach store will be Sprouts' first location in New York State when it opens in 2026, David McGlinchey, chief strategy officer of Sprouts, said in an emailed statement Monday evening.

"Sprouts is looking forward to bringing healthy, better-for-you products to New York in 2026," he said.

Sprouts will occupy about 24,000 square feet of the approximately 43,000-square-foot space at 1934 Middle Country Rd. that L.A. Fitness vacated, Kemp said. The gym closed Jan. 28.

Basser-Kaufman owns a former A&P supermarket space in Aberdeen, New Jersey, that Sprouts took a portion of for a new store it opened in June, Kemp said.

“They’ve been received very well. And we think we’ll find somebody to go next to them” in Centereach, he said.

Before L.A. Fitness opened in 2012 in Centereach, the space had been a Waldbaum’s supermarket, which closed in 2010, Kemp said.

Less than half a mile from the site is a Walmart in Centereach Square that also sells groceries.

But Centereach lacks a supermarket with a bakery and other departments typically found in full-service grocery stores, so Sprouts will be a welcome addition to the community, said Brookhaven Councilman Neil A. Manzella, who represents the 3rd District, which includes Centereach.

“You don’t want to travel 15-20 minutes down Middle Country Road [to a grocery store in a different community] ... So, if you have one closer now, the whole Centereach community is going to benefit because it ... should ease up on traffic both east and west of Centereach,” he said.

Headquartered in Phoenix, Sprouts Farmers Market Inc. is a fast-growing specialty retailer that opened 33 stores last year, bringing its total to more than 440 stores in 24 states. The chain plans to open at least 35 stores this year, according to its 2024 earnings report, released Thursday.

Sprouts’ target customer is a “higher-income consumer who craves health and wellness” and cares about high-quality, lifestyle-friendly products, according to investor information on the company’s website.

The average Sprouts shopper is 46 years old and has an average annual household income of $121,000.

By Tory N. Parrish

tory.parrish@newsday.comToryParrish1

Tory N. Parrish covers retail and small business for Newsday. She has worked at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Observer-Dispatch in Utica, N.Y.